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Solomon Islands signed China security pact with 'eyes open' despite criticism and meddling from US, Australia
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said Wednesday his government signed a controversial security pact with China "with our eyes open" but refused to say when it may be published. The deal, announced by Beijing a day earlier, has faced sharp criticism from the United States and Australia, which fear the pact could lead to China gaining a military foothold in the South Pacific. Sogavare told parliament it was an "honour and privilege" to announce that the deal had been signed by officials in Honiara and Beijing "a few days ago".
https://www.sott.net/article/466958-Solomon-Islands-signed-China-security-pact-with-eyes-open-despite-criticism-and-meddling-from-US-Australia

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"A historic sham": Zelensky's speech to Greece's parliament sparks national outrage, opens WWII-era wounds
By inviting an Azov fighter to address Greece's parliament, Zelensky opened the country's historic wounds and triggered angry demonstrations that have shaken its pro-US government. "Solidarity with the Ukrainian people is a given. But the Nazis cannot have a say in parliament." These are the words of Alexis Tsipras, the former PM and leader of Greece's left-liberal Syriza Party. Tsipras was reacting to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's attempt to legitimize the Azov Battalion, an umbrella of far-right and fascist fighters trained by the US to battle Russians in Ukraine, as he toured foreign capitals to appeal for direct and indirect military support. Zelensky stirred controversy with his April visit to Greek parliament in an effort to win support for his country's anti-Russian war effort. Mariupol, home to a significant number of ethnic Greeks who have faced persecution from the neo-Nazi Azov Brigade, was a particular area of concern in Athens. During his visit to...
https://www.sott.net/article/466960-A-historic-sham-Zelenskys-speech-to-Greeces-parliament-sparks-national-outrage-opens-WWII-era-wounds

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Elon Musk says 'woke mind virus' makes Netflix 'unwatchable'
Elon Musk said Netflix is shedding subscribers because its programming has been infected by the "woke mind virus" which has made the streaming service "unwatchable." Tesla's billionaire boss was reacting to Netflix's share price tanking in pre-market trading on Wednesday after the California-based company revealed it had lost 200,000 subscribers between January and March of this year. The company expects that it will lose an additional 2 million subscribers by the end of the second quarter. Musk did not specify which content on Netflix was "woke" though the company has been criticized for programming deemed by some to be provocative. Earlier this year it released "He's Expecting," a Japanese-language comedy drama about a man who becomes pregnant. Netflix also released "Dear White People," an original series about black students' experiences at an Ivy League colleague. The series caused a stir due to what some said was a racist portrayal of white people.
https://www.sott.net/article/466961-Elon-Musk-says-woke-mind-virus-makes-Netflix-unwatchable

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Battle for the Donbass has begun — Ukraine
Kiev says the "second phase of the war" has commenced The second phase of the Russian offensive in Ukraine and the Donbass has started, President Volodymyr Zelensky and his advisers claimed on Monday evening. Kiev said there were reports of heavy fighting on the Donetsk, Lugansk, and Kharkov fronts, and that Ukrainian troops were holding the line. "We can now confirm that Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbass, which they have been preparing for a long time," Zelensky said in a video posted on Telegram on Monday evening. "A large part of the Russian army is now dedicated to this offensive," he added. His chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, said earlier that the "second phase of the war" had started in the east, but urged Ukrainians to "believe in our army, it is very strong." Russian forces are attacking "along almost the entire front line," said Alexey Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council. "Fortunately, our military is holding on."
https://www.sott.net/article/466962-Battle-for-the-Donbass-has-begun-Ukraine

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Expert: Cop pressed gun to Patrick Lyoya's head then fired
A Michigan police officer who killed Patrick Lyoya after a traffic stop pressed the gun against his head when firing the fatal shot, an expert who performed an independent autopsy for the Black man's family said Tuesday. Dr. Werner Spitz confirmed what was seen last week on video: Lyoya was shot in the back of the head while facedown on the ground during a vigorous struggle with a white Grand Rapids officer on April 4. Spitz appeared at a news conference with lawyers for Lyoya's family, who said they believe video collected and released by police shows that the 26-year-old refugee from Congo was resisting the officer, not fighting him. "You never see a fist, you never see a knife, no baseball bat, no gun, no nothin'," Ven Johnson said. "This was not a deadly force scenario. Never gave a warning: 'Halt or I'm going to shoot you' or other words that we can all imagine." Spitz said he believes the gun was pressed against Lyoya's head when the officer fired, based on the condition of a...
https://www.sott.net/article/466963-Expert-Cop-pressed-gun-to-Patrick-Lyoyas-head-then-fired

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6.0 magnitude earthquake off Davao, Philippines
6.0 magnitude earthquake 52 km from San Ignacio, Davao, Philippines UTC time: Wednesday, April 20, 2022 21:57 PM Your time: Wednesday, April 20, 2022, 10:57 PM GMT 1 Magnitude Type: mww USGS page: M 6.0 - 50 km ESE of Manay, Philippines
https://www.sott.net/article/466964-6-0-magnitude-earthquake-off-Davao-Philippines

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Magnitude 6.7 earthquake strikes near coast of Nicaragua region - USGS
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck off the Pacific coast of Nicaraguaon Thursday near a fishing village popular as a vacation spot, with no initial reports of damage. The quake's epicenter was at sea, 58 km (36 miles) from the village of Masachapa, which lies about an hour's drive southwest of the capital Managua, where strong shaking was also reported, the United States Geological Survey said. Tremors were also reported in Nicaragua's Central American neighbors El Salvador and Costa Rica, USGS said.
https://www.sott.net/article/466965-Magnitude-6-7-earthquake-strikes-near-coast-of-Nicaragua-region-USGS

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Calgary hit with record snowfall of 22 cm in 24 hours
More snow fell on Tuesday than what Calgary had for the entire month of March according to Tiffany Lizée, chief meteorologist for Global Calgary. In the past 24 hours, Calgary had 22 centimetres of snow, a record-breaker for April 19 in Calgary. "The snowiest day we've had all season!" Lizée said. "Normally throughout the beginning months of the year — 17 centimetres for January and February, 23 centimetres in March and 21 centimetres in April —- we didn't see this amount of snow throughout these months, so we had more snow yesterday than what we had for the entire month of February and March and then we had our entire monthly snowfall for April in one day."
https://www.sott.net/article/466966-Calgary-hit-with-record-snowfall-of-22-cm-in-24-hours

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Spain hit by heavy April snowfall - 14 inches of snow
In the 1,000 to 1,900 meter high town of Navacerrada in the Madrid region, about 50 kilometers northwest of the Spanish capital, there was, for example, 36 centimeters of fresh snow, as reported by the newspaper "El Pais" and other media, citing the responsible authorities. There hadn't been such a heavy snowfall in April in the municipality with around 3,000 inhabitants for 20 years. Elsewhere in Spain, authorities reported problems on 26 major trunk roads. It is not the snow itself that is surprising, reported "El Pais", but its intensity. Although these white images are surprising at this stage of spring, snow is not unheard of in Spain's main mountain ranges at this time of year, Aemet Weather Service spokesman Ruben del Campo said. The thick snowflakes, on the other hand, are unusual and conspicuous, according to the meteorologist.
https://www.sott.net/article/466967-Spain-hit-by-heavy-April-snowfall-14-inches-of-snow

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To fight Russia, Europe's regimes risk impoverishment & recession
European politicians are eager to be seen as "doing something" to oppose the Russian regime following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Most European regimes have wisely concluded — Polish and Baltic recklessness notwithstanding — that provoking a military conflict with nuclear-armed Russia is not a good idea. So, "doing something" consists primarily of trying to punish Moscow by cutting Europeans off from much-needed Russian oil and gas. The problem is this tactic doesn't do much to deter Russia in anything other than the short term because Russian oil can turn to numerous markets outside of Europe. Most of the world, after all, has declined to participate in the US and European embargoes and trade sanctions, opting for more measured approaches instead. By limiting energy sources for Europeans, however, Europe's regimes are likely to succeed in pushing up the cost of living for Europeans while doing little to cut off Russia's economy from global markets.
https://www.sott.net/article/466968-To-fight-Russia-Europes-regimes-risk-impoverishment-recession

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Has the West just killed the G20?
With their demarches against Russia, Western members of the global club are demolishing its purpose April 20, 2022 has every chance of going down in the history of modern international relations as the day that led to the sudden demise of the G20, which represents the leading economies of the Western and non-Western world. The events taking place in Washington as part of the meeting - during which the finance ministers of the 'The Big 20', as the group is unofficially referred to, were supposed to look for collective answers to the main challenges facing the world economy - lost their meaning amid the grandiose scandal that broke out in the American capital. US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen and UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak immediately announced they would boycott any G20 events attended by Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov. Thus, the dialogue between the leading economies of the East and West - for which, in fact, the '20' was created at one time - was...
https://www.sott.net/article/466969-Has-the-West-just-killed-the-G20

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Rare Roman coin hoard from Constantine's reign discovered in Switzerland
In September 2021, volunteer Daniel Ludin was prospecting in a wooded area not far from Wildenstein Castle with his metal detector. A strong signal from the device prompted him to dig. After he had recovered several Roman coins and ceramic fragments, the full extent of his discovery became apparent: a treasure of coins buried in a pot came to light. Daniel Ludin acted with extreme deliberation. He covered up the find and informed Archaeology Baselland. Thanks to this professional approach, an excavation team from Archaologie Baselland was able to recover the pot - professionally fixed - in a block. The advantage of recovering finds of this kind in a block is that the coins can be documented and uncovered under laboratory conditions. In this case, the composition of the find was also examined in advance by means of a computer tomography at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (EMPA) in Dubendorf.
https://www.sott.net/article/466970-Rare-Roman-coin-hoard-from-Constantines-reign-discovered-in-Switzerland

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'Libs of TikTok' was doxed for exposing liberals owning themselves
"Democracy dies in darkness." The Washington Post's creed, proudly displayed on its masthead, was intended to refer to the necessity of honest, ethical journalism in the post-truth age - ostensibly in response to the "fake news" so prevalent during the Trump era. Recently, though, the publication's reporters have opted to go after a person whose mission is ostensibly to expose the erosion of morality in America's public schools - and they chose to do so in a way that disregards that person's safety and opens her up to potential harassment and real-world danger. Taylor Lorenz, a former New York Times tech and internet culture journalist best known for falsely accusing tech entrepreneur Marc Andreessen of using a slur in conversation, for stalking the 15-year-old daughter of former Trump White House official Kellyanne Conway, and for crying about online harassment, took it upon herself to dox the individual behind the popular conservative Libs of TikTok account on Twitter.
https://www.sott.net/article/466971-Libs-of-TikTok-was-doxed-for-exposing-liberals-owning-themselves

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UK government networks infected with Pegasus spyware
The Citizen Lab's core mission is to undertake research on digital threats against civil society. During the course of our investigations into mercenary spyware, we will occasionally observe cases where we suspect that governments are using spyware to undertake international espionage against other governments. The vast majority of these cases are outside of our scope and mission. However, in certain select cases, where appropriate and while preserving our independence, we decide to notify these governments through the official channels, especially if we believe that our actions can reduce harm. We confirm that in 2020 and 2021 we observed and notified the government of the United Kingdom of multiple suspected instances of Pegasus spyware infections within official UK networks. These included: The Prime Minister's Office (10 Downing Street)The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) (Now the Foreign Commonwealth and Development office - FCDO)
https://www.sott.net/article/466972-UK-government-networks-infected-with-Pegasus-spyware

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The UN must investigate allegations of atrocities by US-led forces in Syria
As we can all admit, the international order is falling into disarray, and a formal inquiry into allegations of atrocities committed by the United States in Syria must be a prerequisite to upholding international law. According to a Tuesday report by Press TV, the Syrian government has sent letters to UN officials asking for such a formal investigation into alleged atrocities committed by the US-led coalition in the city of Raqqa. "The time has come to shed light on the humanitarian, political, and legal aspects of the matter," Syria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote in two identical messages, addressed to UN Secretary General António Guterres and to the rotating president of the UN Security Council, Barbara Woodward. The ministry noted that virtually the entire city was razed by US bombing runs that took place between June and October 2017, resulting in thousands of civilian deaths.
https://www.sott.net/article/466973-The-UN-must-investigate-allegations-of-atrocities-by-US-led-forces-in-Syria

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The inside story of the prison known as Britain's Gitmo, where Julian Assange is being held
It inspired a controversial gangster rap album illicitly recorded inside its walls. It's also known as Britain's Guantanamo Bay and Hellmarsh. HMP Belmarsh is an institution that casts a big shadow over British justice. Yet, despite those daunting monikers and damning reports of its conditions, it actually stands apart from most of Britain's well-known prisons in that it is a relatively 'modern' building. The other fortresses housing the nation's most dangerous offenders are relics from Victorian times such as HMP Dartmoor in Devon, HMP Pentonville in North London and HMP Barlinnie in Glasgow. Belmarsh, in contrast, was opened in 1991 and was the first new men's jail built in the capital for more than a century. It's located in a historic part of South-East London, the former Royal Arsenal, where all the British armed forces' munitions were once manufactured, and is also minutes from the famous River Thames.
https://www.sott.net/article/466974-The-inside-story-of-the-prison-known-as-Britains-Gitmo-where-Julian-Assange-is-being-held

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NATO looks north for expansion
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted Finland and Sweden, two long-standing neutral nations, to actively consider joining Nato. But a further expansion of Nato could only stoke Russia's concerns about its national security — concerns that underpinned the Ukraine crisis. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, both Sweden and Finland have begun to actively consider dumping their long-held neutrality in favor of joining Nato. Public support for Nato membership has almost doubled since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, to about 50% in Sweden and 60% in Finland. Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has assured both nations that their applications would be welcome, and Nato members including the US, UK, Germany, France and Turkey have expressed support. Finland has indicated it may formally apply in time for a June Nato summit in Madrid. The Russian reaction has been strongly negative, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warning that Russia would have to "rebalance the situation"...
https://www.sott.net/article/466975-NATO-looks-north-for-expansion

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Ukrainian kids separated from caregivers at US border
Dozens of Ukrainian kids fleeing the conflict in the country have ended up being separated from their guardians at the US border with Mexico, the New York Times has reported on Tuesday. Volunteers working in Tijuana have told the newspaper of at least 50 such cases since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine. All of them involved minors, who couldn't travel with their parents but were entrusted to older siblings, relatives or friends of the family to make the journey to America. The separations reportedly occurred despite the guardians having all the needed notarized paperwork attesting that the children were willfully handed over to them by their parents. According to the paper, the authorities have been assuring the children's helpers that the checks, aimed at making sure that the minors aren't being trafficked, would take just a few days, but the kids apparently ended up disappearing in the system for weeks and being moved to shelters inside the US. "They told...
https://www.sott.net/article/466976-Ukrainian-kids-separated-from-caregivers-at-US-border

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Rebuffed privately, influential rabbis go public with plea to cut off American Jewish funding of Israeli extremists
In the wake of last year's round of deadly fighting in Gaza, a group of prominent rabbis in the New York area came to believe that a major American Jewish charity had indirectly fueled the violence. In a letter to the charity, the 19 rabbis, including ones with national renown such as Angela Buchdahl, Sharon Kleinbaum and Amichai Lau-Lavie, pointed out that it was allowing tax-exempt funds to flow to Israeli right-wing extremists. As a donor-advised fund, the $2.4 billion Jewish Communal Fund accepts donations from thousands of individuals and distributes the money according to their recommendations. Some money, the rabbis said, is going to Lehava, a group known for their incendiary marches through Palestinian neighborhoods of Jerusalem involving participants chanting "death to the Arabs." Lehava carried out such a march before fighting between Israel and Hamas broke out last year. The rabbis wrote in their letter, which they followed up with a request for a meeting: "We value...
https://www.sott.net/article/466977-Rebuffed-privately-influential-rabbis-go-public-with-plea-to-cut-off-American-Jewish-funding-of-Israeli-extremists

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Biden to appeal court ruling striking down COVID mask mandate on planes, trains, and transit
The Department of Justice on Tuesday announced that if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determines masks to be necessary, it will appeal the Florida judge's decision striking down the Biden administration's COVID-19 mask mandate on transportation. The DOJ and the CDC "disagree with the district court's decision," Justice Department spokesman Anthony Coley wrote in a press release. The executive branch "will appeal, subject to CDC's conclusion that the order remains necessary for public health," he added. On Monday, Florida Federal Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle ruled that the mask requirement on transportation such as planes was unconstitutional because it exceeded the CDC's authority and the health agency did not provide reasoning behind the mandate. Hours later, the four largest airlines in the U.S. - United Airlines, Delta, Southwest Airlines, and American Airlines - announced that they were dropping the mask requirements for passengers and employees.
https://www.sott.net/article/466978-Biden-to-appeal-court-ruling-striking-down-COVID-mask-mandate-on-planes-trains-and-transit

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US-Saudi relations nearing 'breaking point'
Washington and Riyadh officially insist everything is fine, but Wall Street Journal report suggests otherwise. Relations between the US and Saudi Arabia - which go back to 1945 - have never been this bad, according to a report published on Wednesday in the Wall Street Journal. Insiders in Washington and Riyadh blamed the situation on a personal rift between US President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Both the White House and the Kingdom have officially denied any trouble, however. According to the outlet, the crown prince has sought recognition from Washington as the incoming head of state, which would give him immunity from prosecution for the 2018 killing of dissident Jamal Khashoggi. The Biden White House has refused, bringing up Khashoggi in the first meeting with national security adviser Jake Sullivan and treating with the prince - known by his initials MBS - in his official capacity as Saudi Arabia's defense minister. The WSJ story opens with a...
https://www.sott.net/article/466979-US-Saudi-relations-nearing-breaking-point